Stranger Danger
by Lone Panda
Summary: You know the rules. Don't talk to them, NEVER take candy from them, and certainly don't go off with them alone. So why does it seem to be the mission of each boy to ignore the rules? Multiple pairings, with OCs. They've got a week to fall in love.
1. Rule 1: Don't talk to them

**AN: Great! My first story for Prince of Tennis! And it's going to be a chapter story, no less! I'm so excited, since I love this fandom. Okay, sorry in advance for any typos that spellcheck didn't catch, but I don't have a beta for this story. I'll try and find one. Also, I just sorta came up with this idea randomly. Sorta. By the way, I'm supposed to be working on English homework right now before it rains. Shhhh! ._.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, sadly.T_T**

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><p><em>Pop!<em>

Brown eyes stared boredly at the clouds.

_Pop!_

A hand reached up to adjust a navy, almost black, backward baseball cap, which rested on a head of brown hair tickling a chin.

_Pop!_

Legs shifted on a park bench, ruffling baggy cargo shorts.

_Pop!_

Another hand lifted and casually gave the finger to staring passerbys. Blushing at being caught, they walked by, muttering under their breath things that sounded suspiciously like 'What a rude girl'...

_Pop!_

Then again, Masako Ishikawa was anything but well-mannered.

At thirteen years old and in the eighth grade, she had an attitude that would make mothers gasp in horror. This, coupled with a mouth that was equipped with a sharp tongue, wasn't really what adults thought as appealing.

None of this mattered much to Masako, who had learned at a very early age to, in her own words, 'not give a crap' what others thought of her. The only people who really mattered to her were her parents and her friends. The latter of which were currently MIA.

Sighing in irritation, Masako continued staring at the clouds and once again popped her gum.

_Pop!_

Looking at a cloud that was vaguely starting to resemble a very fluffy bunny, Masako let her thoughts wander. _'Jeezus,'_ she thought._ 'I'm so bored! Why can't I be back in America, where something weird happens around every corner? Like that one time Shi-chan and I entered that restaurant across town...'_ She snickered at the memory. That boy was probably deathly afraid of hot sauce and ball pits thanks to them.

Ah, yes, she and Shi-chan had been banned from there. How were they to know the boy was the son of the manager there? Masako had decided then and there that life was, indeed, a bitch.

Grinning at the memory, Masako switched her gaze from the sky, downward, to two boys playing tennis in the park she had taken refuge in.

Tennis, Masako mused, was a sport a lot of her friends were obsessed with. Well, not obsessed, but they did spend an abnormally large amount of time playing it. And they were pretty good, despite going to an all girl school, full of girls from around the world, dedicated to the arts.

Which led to why Masako was alone, sitting on a park bench in Japan, a million miles away from home in America. It was, in her opinion, quite a lousy project. She could still hear her teacher's voice, and feel the breath wafting over her face as the teacher passed by her. It was strange, but for some reason her teacher always had tuna breath...

_'Class, it'll be fun! All of you get to choose a country to go to, anywhere in the world! You'll spend a week there, and when you get back you'll act out your week for the class! Won't that be fun?'_

No, Masako thought with a grimace, it was definitely _not_ fun. Because her friends had immediately dashed out of the airport, running off to god-knows-where, yelling things about 'shopping', 'culture', and 'sights'. She, on the other hand, had opted to spend a quiet day in the park. Except it had gotten boring. _Fast._

She continued staring at the cloud-bunny, which now looked like it had grown fangs. Cool.

She was so busy staring at it, she almost didn't see the tennis ball flying towards her face.

Almost.

Life, she decided, was out to get her.

Reaching out a hand, she caught the yellow blur, amazed she had even managed such a feat in the first place. Growling in anger, she dropped the hand holding the ball to her side when she saw the two boys running up to her. One had blue hair and violet like eyes, and the other had hair as black as night, with chocolate eyes. She would have thought he was rather handsome, if not for the fact he had nearly impaled her with a tennis ball. _'Okay,' _Masako thought grumpily, _'that's exaggerating a bit, even for me.'_

Stopping in front of her, one was about to speak, but she cut him off. "Watch where you're hitting these things!" Masako snarled, tossing the tennis ball in their direction. The black haired boy caught it, and they both frowned in disapproval.

"We're sorry for the trouble we've caused you." The one that spoke was the blue haired one. "My partner got a little carried away, and hit a shot that flew out of the court."

Masako sneered. "Obviously." Then, as if a switch had been flipped, her brow unfurrowed and she stopped glaring. "But at least you apologized. That's more than I could've hoped for, I guess. Apology accepted."

The blue haired boy blinked at her abrupt change of personality, then smiled. "Do you mind if we join you? You look like you could use some company, and we were done practicing anyway."

The stricter looking boy started to protest. "Yukimura-"

"It's rude to interrupt a conversation, you know," Masako cut him off, twirling her short hair around a finger. "And I'd love to have you join me. It's been boring." _'Sheesh,'_ she thought, eyeing the boy up and down, _'He looks like he's got a stick up his a-'_

Chuckling at the irony, Yukimura sat next to her on the bench. He looked at his friend, whose frown had deepened in annoyance at the girl's nonchalant and rude behavior. "Come on, Sanada, she won't bite."_ 'At least,'_ he thought, _'I hope not...'_

Reluctantly, Sanada sat down on Masako's left, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Masako caught his glances and smirked. "Cat got your tongue?" She asked innocently, grinning rather cheekily.

Sanada tensed up, extremely ruffled. How rude!

Yukimura smiled at the two. This was just too good. It looked as if Sanada had finally met his match in this feisty girl. He changed the subject, however, to save his friend from the girl's teasing. "So, what were you doing before we came over?"

Instead of answering him, though, Masako stretched out her arms, encircling the two boys' shoulders. Yukimura continued smiling, while Sanada glared slightly. She was acting familiar already, and she hardly even knew them.

"Boys, how do you feel about cloud gazing?"

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><p>"I have to go now."<p>

Masako had spent the whole afternoon with the boys, but now it was time to leave. She had a hotel to get to, after all. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd grown rather fond to them during their few hours spent together.

Yukimura nodded, then glanced at his watch. "Yes, it seems as if it's time for us to leave as well."

Grinning, she heaved her backpack over her shoulder and tugged her suitcase to rest beside her. "I guess I'll be seeing you, Yukimura, Sanada." The first opted for another smile, while the latter just nodded.

Turning around, she started walking. She was about ten yards away when she heard a shout that made her spin around.

"Wait!"

Surprisingly, it was Sanada. He was still standing next to Yukimura, watching her go.

"What is it?" Masako called back. She really needed to leave!

"You forgot to tell us your name!" He shouted back.

Frowning, Masako realized he was right. Thinking for a minute, he lips slowly curled into a smile. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "No I didn't!" Then she did the last thing either of the two boys thought she would do; she reached up and pulled off her cap.

Masako smiled at it fondly for a moment, and then, with a sweep of her hand and the strong wind that picked up, she tossed it in their direction as if it were a frisbee.

Sanada reached out with firm hands and caught it. He looked at her questioningly, and she winked.

"You can keep it! Consider it a gift to remember me by! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go!" She turned around and ran a few yards, then stopped abruptly and turned back, cupping her hands around her mouth once more and calling, "Ja ne! I hope we meet again someday!" And with that, she was gone.

Sanada was still watching the place where she had disappeared, when Yukimura took the cap from him. He turned it over to look at it closely, and his smile seemed to grow. Still grinning, he handed it back to Sanada. "Check the tag."

Puzzled, Sanada did as he was told. There, written on the tag in permanent marker, was a name.

Masako Ishikawa

Stoically, he reached up and placed the cap on his head. It fit perfectly.

_'Ne, don't you two think that cloud looks like a tennis racket?'_

"She's an interesting one, eh Genichirou?"

"Aa."

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, that's the first chapter! There'll be one chapter for each day of the week they're in Japan, and there'll be different pairings. By the way, whoever can tell me why Masako's name is ironic first, YOU get to choose the next pairing. It has to be approved by me, of course. Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you have time! I like critiques.:) But anything is welcome.<strong>


	2. Rule 2: Don't take candy from them

**AN: Here is chapter two. This one is a JirohXoc chapter, for those of you wondering. And I wrote this in about two days.:3 I forced myself to, for you guys, because I knew I would blow it off for ever. Ahaha, this chapter is dedicated to demoncat13, my first reviewer for the story! Sorry, demoncat, no Shiraishi! I'll see if I can make a one-shot for him as soon as I learn his personality.:) I let demoncat choose the next pairing, since nobody really got how Masako's name was The website I used said her name meant 'proper child', and she's anything but proper, obviously. Also, this time setting is a year BEFORE Prince of Tennis, so all the 9th graders would be in 8th grade right now, and so on and so forth. Just thought you should know.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Prince of Tennis.**

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><p>"...Senpai?"<p>

"..."

"Senpai?"

"..."

"Senpai!"

"...SENPAI!"

Sachiko Kimura snapped out of her trance, her dark blue eyes blinking rapidly. "Wha-?"

Tora Takenaka sighed, tugging on one of her extremely long pigtails absently. "Senpai, you keep staring at them."

Sachiko pouted, and turned to her seventh grade kohai. "Well, can you blame me? They look adorable!"

Tora gave her a strange look. "Adorable? Sachi-chan, they're not that good looking. I've seen better!"

"What?" Sachiko shook her head at her clueless underclassman. _'Really,'_ she thought, _'I'm the master when it comes to these things. I know good ones when I see them!' _She grinned at Tora, then pointed to herself and said, "Tora, dear, listen to me. I know well made ones like that when I see them. Why, look at the brown one! It even has hints of orange and yellow in it! That's difficult to surpass!" She nodded knowingly, hands on her khaki-clad hips, fingers brushing the hem of her dark blue tank top.

Her kohai stared at them for a moment, then decided to agree with her senpai, if only to please her. "They are really good looking after all, I suppose." She looked at one more closely. "But I think the tall, silver one is better looking."

Sachiko grinned, and grabbed Tora's hand, beginning to tug her towards the objects of the two foreigners attention. "Well, come on!"

Racing across the tiled floor and dodging between aisles, they had almost reached their destination when Tora noticed something. _Two_ somethings, in fact. To be more specific, two _boys_ were blocking their pathway; one had brown hair, with a hint of orange, and the other one was rather tall, with silver hair. It was almost the color of her own hair, she realized, except a bit darker. The latter boy was blushing furiously, and staring at them.

Tora was wondering why he was blushing so badly, when it hit her. _'Oh dear,'_ she thought, her cheeks taking on a flushed look, _'They think we were talking about-'_

"Hey!"

The voice was enough to startle Sachiko into a halt, and she stared at the brown-haired boy in her path, her blue hair swirling to a stop around her shoulders. She gazed at him and his companion-who looked like he had a fever- curiously. "Yes?"

He let out a yawn, and he reached up a hand to cover his mouth, eyes squeezing shut. His voice was slightly muffled when he spoke, but Sachiko could still understand what he said.

"Were you checking us out?"

His brown-eyed friend's cheeks flared instantly, as did Tora's, and he started blurting apologies and protests at the same time, fumbling over his own words. "Jiroh-senpai, that's not-I'm so sorry, he's-Jiroh-senpai, don't-they weren't-!"

Tora was quickly following him in his actions. "Sachiko and I weren't-I sincerely apologize for any-Really, we were actually checking out-!" Sachiko interrupted her friend's rant, laughing heartily.

"The cakes! We were looking at the cakes! Behind you!" She pointed behind the boys, doubled over in laughter, an arm clutching the middle of her stomach. The two boys turned around; a display case was behind them, filled with every kind of cake imaginable. There was even one decorated in chocolate frosting, which had a hint of orange, and another, double-decker cake covered in silver frosting. They were excellently made.

The boy called Jiroh-the sleepy one, Sachiko noted-turned around and grinned. "Oh," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "That makes sense." He turned to his friend. "Ne, Choutarou, don't you think they're cute?" He pointed at the two girls.

This brought about another round of blushes, Sachiko included. Choutarou's face was red enough to rival a stop sign, and he refused to look up from his shoes. "H-h-hai," he stuttered out shyly, glancing up at Tora.

Tora's face went up a notch in heat, and she, too, looked at her shoes, mumbling out a "thanks". She was glad, though, that she had decided to wear her favorite pair of dark blue jeans and purple v-neck. She thought she looked rather good in them.

Sachiko stared at her kohai, then grinned slyly. She turned to Jiroh, smiling sweetly at him. "Hey, Jiroh-kun! Wanna come look around the store with me? I'll even treat you!"

His eyes seemed to light up in excitement, and he nodded vigorously. "Sure!"

She grabbed his hand. "Great!" Then she turned to Choutarou and Tora, who were standing a solid three feet away from each other, acting like if they stepped closer they would be shocked. She put on a stern face and wagged a finger at them. "You two stick together, hear me? Can't have you getting lost!" Then, a mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes, ruining her facade. "Have fun!" She grinned, and turned around, dragging Jiroh behind her. "But not too much fun, if you know what I mean!" Laughing at their scandalized and mortified looks, she raced around the corner of the lollipop aisle.

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><p>"What do you think of this one, Jiroh-kun?"<p>

"...Zzzzz..."

Looking over her shoulder, holding a gigantic blue lollipop in her hand, Sachiko found Jiroh snoring into a box of gumdrops. Again.

Sighing, she sat next to him on the tiled floor, idly twirling the lollipop between her fingers. _'I never thought I'd spend one of my seven days in Japan with a boy who can hardly keep his eyes open,' _she thought, glancing at said boy laying on the floor next to her. He looked peaceful, as if he were having a good dream. Smiling to herself, she ran a hand through his brown locks, thinking he wouldn't mind. _'We've barely spent half an hour together and I've already fallen for him,'_ she thought, with a hint of amusement._ 'I always did fall for boys too quickly...'_

Shifting her thoughts to a less touchy subject for her, she remembered the day before, when Masako had come to the hotel, calm and collected. She was never calm and collected, and all the girls had immediately known something was up. They had demanded she tell them what happened, but Masako had simply responded with, "I learned from the best..."

Sachiko still didn't understand what Masako had meant by that, but she had a hunch-and her hunches were hardly ever wrong-that it had something to do with a boy. Yawning, she decided she would figure it out later.

Arms wrapped around her waist, startling her. She looked down, only to find Jiroh latched onto her. His head rested against her thigh, and he had a small grin on his face.

Smiling, she leaned down without thinking, and pressed her lips against his.

He tasted vaguely of cinnamon, perhaps warm milk, and she could have sworn she heard him sigh. _'Interesting,' _she mused. Pulling back, she rested her head against the shelves behind her, positive that nothing could ruin the moment.

And then she screamed.

Jumping up, she screamed as if her life depended on it. She startled Jiroh out of slumber; he jumped up, bumping into the shelves behind him, and they started to lean ominously backwards. He didn't notice, though. His eyes were wide with something akin to panic. "What?" he shouted, surprised.

Sachiko stopped her screaming long enough to watch in horror as the shelf, full of candy and other items, toppled backwards in what seemed like slow motion. She and Jiroh gazed, in morbid fascination, as it fell into the next shelf, and the next, creating a domino effect all around the store. Sachiko even saw Choutarou, standing wide eyed, with his arms around the waist of the equally shocked Tora. Sachiko would have thought the whole thing was hysterical, if not for the fact that she and Jiroh were standing in the middle of the disaster area as the dust cleared.

Jiroh scratched the back of his head nervously. "Er...oops?"

Footsteps were heard, and a man appeared; he looked as if he belonged in the mountains chopping wood, instead of in a sweet shop wearing a pink apron and wielding two lollipops as weapons. Sachiko looked at his name tag, then started swearing inside her mind like a sailor._ 'Manager...damn...'_

The bearded man took one look around his store, then switched his gaze to the four teenagers among the wreckage. He had "I'm-going-to-kill-you" written all over his face. He pointed slowly at the door. "Get. Out."

Sachiko could've sworn he was grinding his teeth. She opened her mouth and said the stupidest thing she could have at that moment. "But sir, we haven't bought anything yet!" She immediately slapped her hands over her mouth.

The owner shoved the two lollipops he was holding at them, then pushed all four towards the door. "There," he ground out. "Now, GET OUT!" Kicking them out the front entrance, he slammed the door in their faces.

Silence reigned for exactly six seconds before Sachiko turned to Jiroh. "Here, trade me." She took his lollipop from his hands and replaced it with her own before he could blink. Grinning at her now brown-orange lollipop, she took a pen out of her pocket. Grabbing Jiroh's hand and turning it palm-up, she wrote her phone number down in black ink. Putting her pen back in her pocket, she winked at him. "Give me a call sometime, okay Jiroh-kun?"

He stared at his hand, then broke out into a smile. "I will, don't worry!"

Giving him a huge grin, Sachiko turned to Tora, who appeared to have given Choutarou her number while Sachiko had given Jiroh her own. She walked over to the blushing pair, and grabbed Tora's arm. The green-eyed girl gave out a yelp at the sudden movement, and was dragged by her senpai down the sidewalk. She gave a wave to the two boys, who were watching them leave abruptly. Sachiko stopped dragging her friend long enough to turn around, mouth 'call me' to her new crush, and continue on her way.

Jiroh and Choutarou watched them leave. Jiroh then turned his gaze from their retreating backs to his dark blue lollipop. He eagerly took a lick.

He couldn't help thinking that she tasted better, and couldn't wait to call her to tell her so.

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><p>"Hey, senpai, what made you scream in the first place?"<p>

"...I saw a spider, okay?"

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><p><strong>AN: Yay! There it is. As always, all kinds of reviews are welcome, or none at all. It's up to you! FYI, Alex Culten, since you guessed the closest to the ironic thing, you can choose the next chapter's pairing (approved by me, of course). But you'll have to leave it in a review, or contact me via email (as seen on my profile) or just PM me if you have an account. If I don't hear anything from you by the end of next week, I'm afraid I'll have to start the next chapter anyway. I'm giving you fair warning.:3 Thanks again, everyone! Also, my apologies for any errors in spelling or the like. Spellcheck can only do so much.<strong>

**Happy Friday the 13th! Stay lucky!**


	3. Rule 3: Don't get into cars with them

**AN: Ok, so here's chapter three, especially for alex culten, who requested a YukimuraXoc. I hope this is what you wanted! Also, I'm really mad at my school right now, just know it has to do with a damaged textbook (which is NOT my fault, I got it like that) and a fine of over twenty dollars. Oh, they'll get their money. They'll get their twenty dollars, all right-I plan on paying it all in pennies. Muahahahaha!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.**

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><p>Natsu Hamasaki was sure she had the worst luck on the face of the Earth. As if to confirm that fact, the sky unleashed a mighty bought of thunder, and it began to rain.<p>

God damn it.

The teenage girl stood under the awning of a bus stop, wearily playing the day's events through her mind.

She'd woken up at the hotel, rolled out of bed, and promptly hit her head on the nightstand next to it. She'd then, after getting an ice pack, discovered her rats' nest of lavender hair; it was usually straight, and reached her mid-back. After taming the mess, she left the hotel, telling her roommate Masako that she would be back by the end of the day. She'd wandered the streets, occasionally taking a few buses to travel around the city, when she'd run into a guy on roller blades.

Literally.

Natsu had apologized excessively, being the good-natured person she was, and he had nodded silently at her before blading off to somewhere unknown.

How was she to know he was a thief?

Really, he'd stolen her wallet and everything, leaving her stranded without bus fare. She was standing at the bus stop right now, waiting to be picked up by her friend Aya's older brother, who was responsible for them on the trip.

_'I hope he gets here soon,'_ Natsu thought, her blue-violet eyes trained miserably on the rain pouring down. She was grateful she'd worn jeans, sneakers, and a jacket. If she'd worn something like a skirt, she'd be freezing. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sat on the lone bench behind her, thankful for the awning that blocked the rain. It wasn't long before she heard voices coming her way, accompanied by the sound of hurrying footsteps.

"Ack! I'm getting all wet!"

"There's an awning up ahead."

"Hurry up, Yukimura!"

Three boys raced towards her, and stopped when they were safely protected from the rain. They looked soaking wet; Natsu assumed they'd been caught in the rain, and had been looking for shelter when they found her.

She gave them a once-over. One had silver hair, with a little ponytail; he was quite handsome, and he wore a devilish smirk. Another, shorter boy gave off the impression he belonged in Candy Land. His hair was a reddish-pink, and he popped the bubblegum in his mouth. The last boy was the best looking of all three. He had midnight-blue hair, and a gentle smile. If Natsu hadn't been who she was, she might have swooned at the sight of him.

It was the red head who spotted her first. "Well, who do we have here?" He popped his gum again, staring at her.

Natsu instantly disliked him. _'Does he have _no_ manners?'_ she thought irritably. Nonetheless, she smiled up at him and his friends, with only a hint of malice. "It's polite to give your own name before asking another," she said, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

The one with the ponytail, who Natsu deemed the most likely of the three to cause trouble for others, whistled. "Puri~ Look out, Marui, this one has an attitude."

The gentler of the boys scolded him lightly. "Niou, that's rude." He turned to Natsu, who was looking up at him from her place on the bench. "I apologize for my friends' behavior. Let me introduce myself. My name is Yukimura Seiichi, and these are my friends, Niou Masaharu and Marui Bunta."

Natsu stood up, silently thanking him in her head for his polite demeanor. "Nice to meet you, Yukimura-san, Niou-san, Marui-san." She bowed slightly to each boy in turn. "I," she started to say, before spotting a pair of headlights coming toward them through the downpour, "am happy to say that my ride is here."

The three boys turned around as her 'ride' stopped in front of the bus stop, wipers working furiously in the onslaught of water. Niou and Marui gaped, while Yukimura gazed on silently; he was shocked on the inside, and trying not to show it.

In front of them, a sleek black limousine hummed silently. As they were staring, a car door opened in back. A steel toed, black leather boot hit the asphalt with a _clunk!_ A large hand-not as in fat, but abnormally large, as if made for a giant-appeared, gripping the top of the car door. The other hand was preoccupied with holding the biggest blue umbrella the boys had ever seen. A lean figure hoisted itself from the inside, and then, shutting the limo door behind it, walked toward them.

It was a young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in boots-which looked quite heavy-and comfortable dark blue jeans. He sported a white t-shirt and a gray jacket. The blue umbrella shielded his shaggy brown hair from the water, and his sunglasses blocked his eyes from view. But the most interesting thing of all was his height; he was _enormous_. Not just _tall,_ but really, _really,_ tall. The kind of tall person that makes 5'7'' people look like dwarfs, and-well, he was_ tall_.

The handsome young man walked right past the gaping boys, completely ignoring them. He stopped in front of Natsu. "Ready to go?" he questioned, his voice baritone-like.

Natsu grinned. "It's about time, Arashi-kun! I was beginning to think you'd never show up!"

Arashi raised an eyebrow. "I'm here, aren't I?" He then turned around. As if spotting the boys for the first time, he asked in mock surprise, "And who do we have here?" Before they could give an answer, he spun back around to face Natsu. "Do your new friends need a ride?"

Natsu was about to protest, to say "They are _not_ my friends," when she gave them another look. Taking pity on them, she said, "I don't know. Do you?" She directed the last question specifically at Yukimura.

He glanced at the rain, which seemed to pelt even harder, then at his two friends. They both nodded their heads. He looked at his watch. "If it won't be any trouble. The next bus doesn't come for another half-hour."

Arashi stepped back into the rain, his gigantic umbrella protecting him, and motioned for them to follow. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "Come on. But you're not getting into the car like that. That's genuine leather in there."

* * *

><p>They dropped off Niou and Marui at their houses, and were now on their way to drop off Yukimura. Natsu sat on the seat across from Yukimura, next to Arashi, who was asleep and snoring rather horrendously. A large golden retriever had it's head resting on the young man's lap, and was snoring as badly as it's master. Yukimura seemed to think it was amusing, but Natsu was cringing inwardly at Arashi's rude disposition.<p>

She leaned forward towards Yukimura. "I'm sorry, he's being rude."

Yukimura leaned forward, too, a twinkle in his eye. "It's alright. He's quite fun to watch, actually."

She leaned forward again. "Really? Are you sure he's not bothering you? I could always pinch him." She seemed hopeful at the chance to do so.

Yukimura copied her action once more. "No need, I'm sure."

Natsu could feel his breath ghost across her lips, sending tingles up her spine. She was suddenly aware of how close the two were, their faces mere inches apart. She made a surprised noise in the back of her throat, and Yukimura chuckled. She saw him lean forward, closing the distance between them; just a little more, and he'd-

_Bring! Bring!_

_Snooooooooorrrre..._

Natsu jerked back, startled, and searched frantically for her cell phone. Yukimura leaned back, in what seemed like-disappointment?

Natsu snatched her phone out of her pocket, sliding it open. "Moshi moshi," she greeted, a little flustered.

"_Natsu! Where are you?"_

"Masako?" Natsu noticed Yukimura perk up in interest at hearing the name. "Arashi-kun and I are dropping off a new friend of mine at his house. What did you need?"

"_I just heard from Aya that some guy on roller blades stole your wallet, which is why you had Arashi-kun pick you up. Is that true?"_ Natsu heard Masako's snickers from the other end of the phone.

She huffed. "Yes! But I didn't know he would steal my wallet! How was I to know a guy on roller blades was a thief?" If possible, Yukimura looked even _more_ interested in the conversation than before.

Natsu heard Masako laugh out loud. _"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but maybe you'll learn to be more careful next time!"_ The line went dead.

Natsu huffed again, in indignation, then closed her phone, slipping it back in her pocket. She gazed sourly at Yukimura. "And what caught your attention?"

Ignoring her sour tone, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a black and green wallet. Natsu stared at it in disbelief. It was _hers_! She opened her mouth. "How on _Earth_-!"

He cut her off. "The thief ran into us, too. Luckily, we knew better, as he steals in that area regularly. It's a wonder nobody's turned him in. I was going to turn in the wallet at the police station, but then it started to rain. I guess now I don't have to." Yukimura ended his explanation, handing her back her wallet.

The limo stopped moving, and they both noticed they had parked in front of his house. Natsu looked delighted to have her wallet back. She grinned happily, oblivious to the mischief in Yukimura's eyes. "Thanks so much! How can I ever re-_mmfphmff_!"

Yukimura kissed her soundly, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. Natsu was so surprised, she kissed back, slipping her arms around his neck. When it was over, he pulled away, placing her on the seat next to him and smiling.

"If you ever want to hang out, you know where to find me." He grinned at her flushed cheeks, then got out of the car and ran through the rain up to his front door. He slipped inside his house before Natsu could say anything.

She touched her fingers to her lips, then flushed with something that was _not_ embarrassment; it was anger. She rolled down a window. "JERK!" she called, staring down his house as if daring him to come back. Satisfied, she rolled up the window, then sat back in the seat.

_Snooooooooorrrre..._

"Agh-huh? What? Did I miss something?"

_Sigh. _"Oh, shut up, Arashi-kun. Go back to sleep."

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><p><strong>AN: Hahaha! I love Arashi, he's my favorite oc, even though he's not a girl!:D He's kinda there for comic relief, but there's a major secret to him! I don't know if you'll ever find out, but oh well. Oh yeah, his golden retriever's name is Doug. He gave him an American name.:) Love you all, and I have no idea what else to say, sooo...bye, I guess.:D<strong>


	4. Rule 4: Don't help them

**AN: My apologies if this chapter is shorter and suckier than the last three. And if it has spelling mistakes. I did my best. Anyways, yes, we actually went through with the pennies. All twenty dollars are now paid for. Counting out the pennies took less time than I thought it would, since my family helped out. Yay me. So, enjoy the chapter. This time we're looking at Choutarou!**

**Disclaimer: Crap, almost forgot this. But you guys know what I'm about to say, anyways.**

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><p>"It's your own fault you're up there, you know."<p>

"I know! But I couldn't just leave that poor cat up here, could I?"

"He got down on his own, _like I said he would-_"

"I _know_ you said he would! You don't have to rub my face in it, Arashi-kun!"

Said young man had his hands planted on his hips, face turned up to the top of the tree. He was dressed in his usual attire, and he hadn't lost the sunglasses. His attention was currently preoccupied with a young girl in the tree, her arms hugging the trunk. Her two long pigtails had twigs and leaves stuck in them, clashing with the almost-white color of her hair. Her green eyes stared at the ground worriedly, and every now and then her black v-neck and jeans would snag on the bark of the tree.

Arashi sighed, and sat down on the grass, leaning his back against the base of the Sakura tree. He took a book from what seemed like thin air, and flipped it open. "You're on your own this time, Tora-chan."

Tora scowled at him, her pink lips forming a pout. "Come on, Arashi-kun!" She looked beseechingly at him.

Arashi turned a page, his finger following the words. "Nope. I'm always helping you girls get out of trouble. Not this time, though."

Tora glanced at the ground helplessly; she couldn't jump from this height without breaking anything, most likely, and Arashi wasn't going to be any help. She cursed that adorable black cat, which had been stuck in the tree. Her caring nature towards animals wouldn't let her abandon it, so she'd climbed the tree, cautiously. Just as she'd been reaching towards it, the animal jumped, landed on all four feet perfectly, and raced off from the little park. It was then, when she'd stared after it in shock, that she realized she had no idea how to get down without killing herself in the process. _'Black cats _are _bad luck,'_ she thought miserably. _'I've almost got as much bad luck as Natsu-senpai, and she has the _worst_! I'm just glad Ohtori-kun isn't here right now...if he saw me like this, I might-"_

"Takenaka-chan! Are you alright? What are you doing up in that tree?"

As if the thought of him was enough to make him appear, Choutarou Ohtori stood under the tree, his hand shading his eyes as he looked at her worriedly.

"O-o-oh. Hi, Ohtori-kun. W-what are you doing here?" Tora stuttered out, acting casual. Keyword; acting.

"Um, I went out today to buy some grip tape." Here he held up a plastic bag. "But what are _you_ doing here, Takenaka-chan? Up in the tree, I mean."

Arashi cut into the conversation, licking his finger, before calmly turning another page of his book. "She's stuck, kid. Tried to help a little cat stuck in the tree, _even though I told her not to_, and she got herself stuck instead."

Tora puffed her cheeks out, half in defeat, half in annoyance. "So blunt, Arashi-kun!" She felt a vein pop in her forehead. "And quit pretending to read! We both know you're not!"

He turned to her with a mock-hurt look on his face, while Choutarou looked on in confusion. "Oh, how you wound me, Tora-chan!" Arashi clutched his hand to his heart, as if he'd been stabbed. The moment was lost, however, when he smirked and went back to 'reading' his book.

Choutarou blinked once, then stared at Arashi. "Aren't you going to help her?" he demanded.

"Nope."

He seemed taken aback at the answer, then looked back up at Tora, who was smiling sheepishly. He ran a hand through his silver locks. "Well, what do we do now?"

Tora waved a hand at him, the other still clutching the trunk. "Oh, Ohtori-kun, you don't have to help! I'll figure out a way to get down!"

He had a determined look in his eye. "No, I want to help, Takenaka-chan! Hold on, wait there! I'll see if I can find any help!" Before she could say anything else, he ran off, in search of either help or a ladder.

She was left, still stuck in the tree, with Arashi for company.

Oh dear.

"So, Tora-chan, maybe now would be a good time to tell you _I told you so_..."

* * *

><p>"Got any three's?"<p>

"Go fish, Tora-chan. Let's hope you're better at that than climbing trees."

"..."

Tora reached for another card, deciding it best not to answer. She leaned her back against the tree; yes, she was still stuck. Arashi had eventually gotten bored pretending to read his book and teasing her, so he'd climbed up into the tree with her, pulling a deck of cards from his pockets as he went. Now the two were perched precariously on two tree limbs, playing Go Fish. And he was still teasing her. _'This probably looks quite odd,'_ she contemplated.

Indeed, as Choutarou ran up, empty handed and alone, he stopped to stare at the odd duo playing cards in a tree. His attention was fixed mainly on Arashi. "You're up there now?" he asked confusedly. "Did you get stuck, too?"

Arashi waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me, kid, I can get down anytime I want. It's her you have to worry about." He pointed at Tora. "Oh yeah, got any nines?"

The young girl huffed, and handed over two cards. She mumbled something that sounded like _'Dirty cheat'_, then looked down at Choutarou.

He shook his head at her. "I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry." He sounded disappointed. "But, maybe...I know this sounds crazy and dangerous, but maybe if you jumped, I could catch you?"

Before Tora could say _'That _is_ a crazy idea!'_, Arashi clasped his hands together. "My hero!" he said, his voice layered with false sweetness. She would have bet twenty bucks he was batting his eyelashes behind his sunglasses. Getting up from his sitting position, Arashi launched himself out of the tree, hurtling at a fast pace toward Choutarou. The seventh grader ducked out of the way just in time. Arashi landed with hardly a _thump, _right where the boy had been standing less than a second ago. "Hey," he protested, turning to Choutarou with a frown on his face. "You were supposed to catch me!"

Tora frowned at her companion. "Ignore him," she called down to Choutarou, who looked up at her. "He's just a baka who demands attention all the time." Arashi grinned at her and waved heartily.

Choutarou nodded slowly. "Okay... So, are you willing to try my idea? I know it sounds a bit dangerous, but I think that's the only thing we can do."

Tora bit her lip, afraid. "Well..." she hesitated.

Choutarou smiled at her reassuringly. "It's okay. Don't worry, I'll catch you. Trust me."

She took one more look at the ground before shutting her eyes tight, muttering a prayer...and promptly slipping backwards off the tree branch and falling.

She didn't even have time to scream before a pair of strong arms caught her, their owner eliciting a small 'oof' of surprise. She cracked open her eyes as she was safely set on her feet. Her eyes flew open and she threw her arms around Choutarou, squealing her happiness and thanks, earning a huge blush and a small _'You're welcome'_ from her savior.

Arashi cleared his throat. "If you're quite done with your boyfriend, we have to go catch the next bus, since I know you don't like riding in limos."

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><p>Tora had bid her friend goodbye, after thanking him some more and earning more blushes from him. Now, she and Arashi were seated on the bus, an empty seat on her right and Arashi on her left. On his left sat an old man with a long beard, his legs folded underneath him. He seemed to be sleeping. Glancing around, Tora noticed the bus held an unusually large amount of good looking boys holding tennis bags.<p>

She heard a sigh, and turned to Arashi, who had his head turned toward her, leaning on his hand. In the other he was holding up a single, silver hair. She looked at him questioningly.

"It's not yours," he said. "It's mine. You girls are so much trouble, you're stressing me out and giving me grey hairs! I'm not even old yet!"

She gazed at him with a smile on her face. "Yes you are. You're old to me."

"No I'm not! I'm in my early twenties! I'm as young as the next person!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Not one word, Tora Takenaka. Not. One. _Word_."

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, I hope you guys understood the last part of that. If not, well...I'm not sure what to say to you. So, can any of you guess who's next? The hint was in this chapter! Ahh, Arashi, I just love him!:D He's great comic relief, even if he IS a bit cynical. Oh well, that's his character! He's kind of weird, but that's why I love him! Hopefully Choutarou was in character, and if not, feel free to point it out. I'm working on making the guys IN character. So tips help plenty. Oh yeah, watch "Two Brothers" if you ever get a chance. It's a good movie, if you like animals. Mostly tigers. It was so sad, I actually cried! Though I liked the ending. One last thing! It is now officially a year since I made my account. Yippee!<strong>


	5. Rule 5: Don't stay with them after dark

**AN: Bahahahahahaha, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I decided to take a vacation, but it was only supposed to be for the summer. I think I enjoyed it a little TOO much, though. My bad. Anyways, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!:D I made sure to get this to ya'll. This is my present, from me to you. Enjoy! And yes, this is Rokkaku. But it's not who you think. Yet he's just as awesome.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis.**

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><p>Many words could describe the young seventh grade girl sitting at a table in the sushi restaurant. Pessimistic was just one of them- pertaining to or characterized by pessimism; in other words, gloomy.<p>

She didn't like many things. She didn't like flowers; they made her sneeze. She didn't like rain; she hated getting wet. Most importantly, she didn't normally like people; she found them all around dull, doing the same things over and over again, every single day. They were just _so_ boring.

The girl's name was Etsuko Mizushima, and she had many friends.

She hadn't known where all of them came from, exactly. They were like rabbits; they just kept multiplying. Though she didn't care for all of them, there were a few she actually respected; these were the friends she was visiting Japan with.

Right now, however, Etsuko was alone, gazing around the rather cute and quaint shop with a dull, brown gaze. Her unkempt, wavy brown hair got in the way of her sight. Sighing, she shoved her bangs back, though she knew it was useless. Sure enough, they fell back in her face again.

Getting up from her spot on the floor, she paid for her meal and walked out, past a group of rowdy boys in blue and white jackets. Shoving her hands in her jean pockets, she strolled down the sidewalk, occasionally glancing at the shops around her, looking for one that would catch her interest.

Stopping at a crosswalk and waiting for the light to change, she spotter a small bookstore across the street. When the light changed, she hurried across and made her way into the shop.

A little bell above the door announced her presence, and she immediately inhaled the musty smell that told her this shop held many books; many _old _books. A little old lady sat behind the counter, seemingly asleep. Smiling to herself, Etsuko began to browse through the shelves.

* * *

><p><em>Snort.<em>

Etsuko's head popped out from behind a stack of books.

_Snicker._

'There it is again,' she thought, looking all around her for the source of the laughter. She got up from her seat at a small table in the corner of the store, and began peering around bends and into aisles. Hearing a quiet chuckle, she rounded a corner, and found a strange sight.

A boy with wild auburn hair had his back to her, hunched over something, and laughing quietly to himself. Etsuko cleared her throat, and the boy straightened and turned towards her. His face looked vaguely familiar, but what caught her attention was the book he held in his hands.

"You like joke books?" she asked, one of her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline.

He blinked. "What's your name?"

"Etsuko Mizushima."

"Hikaru Amane."

"...Your hair's funny."

"I didn't know it had a sense of humor."

"Wow, that was _so_ punny."

"That rhymed."

"Shut up."

* * *

><p>"Crap."<p>

Etsuko was going to be buried to her ankles in it. Looking outside, she had discovered how late it was when she saw the sun setting slowly in the distance. Turning to Hikaru, she clutched his arm. "What time is it?" she asked desperately.

He checked his watch. "8:13"

Screw ankle-deep. She would be buried alive in the stuff. Her friends would have to dig her out. Arashi was going to kill her, and once her friends dug out her corpse, he would bring her back to life and kill her a second time for staying out late. It might now have been so serious if she had actually been anywhere _near_ the hotel. But she wasn't, so it was. And she was going to be in deep shit after she caught a bus and finally made it back there.

She wrung her hands in despair.

Hikaru glanced at his new...acquaintance. "You look...desperate. Or perhaps terrified would be more accurate?"

"I'm going to be _murdered_. Where's the nearest bus stop?" Etsuko was not asking. She was _demanding_.

"About a block from h-"

She bolted out the front door, throwing some money on the counter for her books and yelling _"Keep the change!"_ over her shoulder on her way out. When she stopped, reaching her destination, she bent over, gasping for breath. _'Maybe I should start working out,'_ she thought grimly. _'Nah. I'm healthy enough to stay alive a few more years...give or take.'_

Breathing hard, she nearly jumped when a hand clamped itself on her shoulder and a voice said, "Calm down. I'll go with you." It was Hikaru.

She turned to him with a blank stare. "But I hardly know you."

He stared back. "Ditto. But it might not be a good idea for you to go home by yourself this late."

"Point taken." Etsuko relented, just as a black and white bus pulled up. She glared at it suspiciously. "That was... a little _too_ convenient."

"Beggars can't be choosers."

"Touché."

* * *

><p>Riding the bus with Hikaru was...interesting.<p>

It wasn't only that he kept making bad puns. It wasn't that. It was that he made bad puns about _everything_. The business man obviously returning home. An old man. _Another_ old man. Everything. To make matters worse, he had bought the joke book. Etsuko could practically hear the gods laughing at her from their perch among the clouds.

Desperate, she cut him off mid-pun. "Er, Hikaru-san, what do you like?"

Leaning his chin on one hand, he stared at her. "Tennis."

Well. She hadn't been expecting that. A lot of her friends played tennis, and she told him so.

"Really?" he asked. His facial expression changed, and it nearly drove Etsuko crazy, because she had definitely seen this boy before. But she couldn't remember _where._

"Yeah," she replied, too busy concentrating on his face to pay attention as he launched into a one-sided conversation about tennis.

Many 'yeahs', 'mhmms' and 'uh huhs' later, it finally hit her. Literally, the bus stopped with a lurch and threw her head into Hikaru's. Clutching her aching skull, she pointed to him, face devoid of emotion. "You look just like the Statue of David. I remember because we studied it once during school."

Gripping his forehead, Hikaru watched her as she stood up. "I've never heard that before."

Etsuko paused at the entrance to the bus, regarding him thoughtfully. "Well, you do." Getting off, she threw him a smirk over her shoulder. "Maybe we'll see each other again one day, Hikaru-_chaaaaaan_."

And then the bus drove away, leaving her alone, standing a block from her hotel.

Her normal sullen mood returning, Etsuko strolled the rest of the way there, completely forgetting the time. Until she bumped into someone very large. And very, _very_ pissed off.

A grin leered at her from the darkness. "Well well, Etsuko-chan. Have fun?"

"When you kill me, stay away from my funeral."

"No promises."

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><p><strong>AN: It's a little shorter than I would like, but, hey; it's there, and I updated, and know that I LOOOVE you guys.:3 I'll try not to get so addicted to free time the next time, ehehehe...Two more chapters and we're done! Yippee! (I also picked up another bad habit from my vacation. I've gotten lazy with reviewing, so I'm trying to break it soon...-_-Feel free to do whatever, but have an awesome holiday! Goodnight!:D<strong>


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